When Chad meets Camille at university, he thinks that he has met the love of his life. But later on, after the couple are married and hosting Camille’s French parents for dinner, Chad’s friend, Nolan, uses his ability to understand French and eavesdrops on the dinner conversation… only to discover something horrible about Chad and Camille’s marriage.
I never thought inviting Nolan over for dinner would blow up my entire life. But that’s exactly what happened the night he helped uncover the truth about my wife, Camille.
We met in college when Cami was an exchange student from France, studying International Politics, and I was finishing my degree in Business Management. There was something magnetic about her from the beginning.
Camille was as French as they come, with an effortless charm and sophistication I’d never seen before. We spent hours talking about everything from culture, politics, food, and life goals.
That instant connection was enough to make me fall hard and fast.
Our relationship blossomed quickly, and we were inseparable. After graduation, we moved in together and eventually tied the knot. Camille’s parents still lived in France, and although I hadn’t learned much French, they visited us twice a year.
And as always, while they conversed in their native language during dinners, I mostly just smiled and nodded along, picking up bits and pieces.
Other than the usual “mon chéri” or “merci,” French was still a mystery to me.
But things were getting frustrating.
“Go upstairs and check under your bed. Trust me,” he whispered urgently.
After four days of family dinners where I couldn’t participate in the conversation, I felt completely left out.
“Maybe you should try harder, Chad,” Cami told me one day when we were sitting outside getting some sunshine. “I mean, I’ve had to be fluent in English, and you reap the rewards of that, don’t you? So, it’s time to put in some real effort if you’re feeling left out.”
Look, I knew that it wasn’t anyone’s fault, but it was hard not to feel isolated when they would all switch to French without a second thought. So, I figured, when it was time for another family dinner, that I would invite my friend Nolan over.
He was my closest friend, and I needed someone to talk to while Camille and her parents bantered away in French.
Nolan and I went way back, and though we didn’t talk about it much, I knew he had taken French in high school. But I didn’t think he’d retained enough to follow their rapid conversation.
I was about to find out just how wrong I was.
We were all sitting at the table, eating bouillabaisse, a French dish that Camille’s parents loved. Nolan and I were chatting about work, casually discussing an audit we had coming up, while Camille and her parents happily chattered away in French.
“I don’t think Liam is serious enough about this audit,” I said. “I think that there are some figures that he needs to fix first…”
I was talking to Nolan, but he just wasn’t looking at me or paying attention. Instead, he was looking at his plate and frowning as if he was in deep concentration.
I thought it was odd, but I let it go. Maybe he was just thinking about Liam and the crooked books.
But suddenly, Nolan’s face changed. He went pale, and his hand gripped my arm tightly.
“Go upstairs and check under your bed. Trust me,” he whispered urgently.
At first, I was beyond confused. I thought that he was messing with me. But his eyes… they told a different story.
Wide and serious.
